IslamicFinance.de

The finance ministry is considering a new category of non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) that will offer Islamic banking products in India.

Islamic finance has revitalised the economic ties and strengthened the financial linkages between Asia and the Middle East, says Bank Negara Governor, Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz.

Islamic financial markets heaved a sigh of relief after dodging the securitisation crisis which hit traditional banks, but the fallout may spark a global regulatory overhaul that could stifle the $1 trillion industry.

Islamic banking must speed up standardization in order to grow while monetary authorities should enact laws that allow expansion into new Sharia-based products in domestic markets, industry experts said on Wednesday.

Property developer Nakheel, a subsidiary of Dubai World, on Tuesday named Ali Rashid Ahmad Lootah as its new chairman in a restructuring that also added four other members to the board. Lootah is also the vice-chairman of mashreq.

Baku, Fineko/abc.az. GRBS jointly with Dar Al Istithmar, a UK-based Shari’a advisory firm and the global leader on Islamic Finance System, is to conduct "Global Islamic Finance System" Master Class in Azerbaijan for the first time.

In line with its commitment to achieve higher Emiratization rates, Emirates Islamic BankEmirates Islamic BankLoading... (EIBEIBLoading...), one of the leading Islamic financial institutions in the UAE participated in the 10th annual Careers Show which was held from 28th to 30th March 2010 at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Center.

Bank Sarasin-Alpen (ME) Limited, a subsidiary of Bank Sarasin & Co. Ltd, a leading Swiss private bank announced today the publication of its Islamic Wealth Management Report 2010. The report provides investors with an in-depth overview of the various asset classes in Islamic wealth management along with a synopsis of the market scenario during the past 18 months.

Dubai is opening up its inaugural hedge fund to investors after an index-beating debut. The Middle East emirate's first fund of funds, which was launched at the beginning of 2009, beat comparable indexes by posting a 41% return last year. The fund, up slightly more than 1% through March 28, is still outperforming benchmarks this year.

First Finance Company has disclosed its financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2009 which is net profit of QR 29.2m in 2009 versus QR 110.8m in 2008.

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) confirmed that the two institutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to share expertise and exchange relevant information in the areas of banking supervision, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Microfinance and Islamic Finance, Monetary Policy and Development Finance Institutions. The MoU was signed at the headquarters of the Malaysian Central Bank, the Bank Negara in Kuala Lumpur.

Indonesia's finance ministry raised 620 billion rupiah ($68.24 million) in a sukuk auction on Tuesday, well below target, as investors demanded high yields to compensate for a lack of trading liquidity in the paper.

Malaysia's offshore financial center in Labuan i.e. the Labuan Offshore Financial Services Authority (Labuan FSA) has been put in the "white listing" by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) due to compliance with its standards for transparency and exchange of information between countries. This is a significant contribution of Labuan FSA in supporting the Malaysian government's agenda toward promoting Malaysia as a major hub for international Islamic finance.

As Islamic finance is growing very rapidly in the United States, the US-based Florentez Investment Management Inc. (ShariahShares ETF) is set to launch a family of Shariah-compliant exchange traded funds (ETFs) on the NYSE (New York Stock Exchange).

Malaysia’s competitive advantage in Islamic finance will strengthen as the country evolves into an international hub for Islamic finance.

The Islamic Financial Services Board has issued a guideline to credit rating agencies on how to recognise, and classify or treat the Islamic products.

There is huge potential for islamic finance in Canada as as mentioned by a speaker at a conference in Toronto.

A group of British Islamic banks and government bodies launched on Wednesday a lobby group to further the industry's development and push for the issuance of the first UK sovereign Islamic bond. The UK Islamic Finance Secretariat will incorporate Islamic finance experts currently operating within committees of government organisations such as the UKTI, the government's international business development organisation, the Treasury and the Financial Services Authority (FSA), to strengthen the UK's position as an Islamic finance hub.

A template for an over-the-counter Islamic derivative contract was launched on Monday, offering a channel for the emerging industry to better hedge itself against risks.

Press Release

The report provides investors with an in-depth overview of the various asset classes in Islamic wealth management along with a synopsis of the market scenario during the past 18 months. The report also explores the concept of estate and succession planning, which Sarasin believes is insufficiently addressed in the Islamic finance industry and is a key element of Sarasin’s Islamic wealth management offering. Finally, the report provides an insight into the bank’s economic outlook for 2010.

The key issues and challenges addressed in the report are:

• how Sharia screening reduced the downside in volatile markets and how it affects the finance industry and investors,
• the behaviour of direct real estate investments in comparison with real estate funds and Sharia-compliant real estate investment trusts,
• the income-related role of Sukuk within Islamic balanced portfolios and the probability of defaults,
• a comparison between various Islamic investment funds ranging from income-oriented to commodity, real estate and equity funds,
• the size and future of the Islamic private equity and venture capital industry,